2000 to 2018 Saw Increase in Incidence of Pancreatic Cancer

TUESDAY, Oct. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The incidence of pancreatic cancer increased among men and women from 2000 to 2018, with a greater relative increase among women aged younger than 55 years, according to a research letter published online Oct. 24 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Srinivas Gaddam, M.D., M.P.H., from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted an age- and sex-specific time trend analysis of pancreatic cancer incidence rates per 100,000 population from 2000 to 2018 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

The researchers found that 283,817 cases of pancreatic cancer were reported from 2000 to 2018 (50 percent women). The average annual percentage change (AAPC) of total pancreatic cancer cases increased significantly in women and men (0.78 and 0.90 percent, respectively), with no significant between-group difference. Among individuals aged 55 years or older, the AAPCs increased among women and men (0.62 and 0.92 percent, respectively), with a greater increase suggested among men. Incidence rates were lower among individuals aged younger than 55 years (32,369 cases [11.4 percent]; 43 percent women). A significantly greater relative increase in incidence was seen for women versus men aged younger than 55 years (AAPCs, 1.93 versus 0.77 percent).

“Even though the reason for this relative increasing trend among younger women is unclear, it may imply a sex-based disproportional exposure to known or unknown risk factors,” the authors write. “The observed trend can offer clues to researchers to gain better insight into pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer.”

Abstract/Full Text